Bio: Meyers Family and the Corner Store (History of Abbotsford) 

Contact: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Wing, Cook, Maguire, Roter, Meyers, Chase 
 

----Source: Abbotsford Tribune (Abbotsford, Clark County, Wis.) 02/19/1953 
 

Written by F. B. Wing 
 

From the Colby Phonograph, Dec. 18, 1881: 
 

B. A. Cook sold his store at Abbotsford to J. A. Roter & Company (the & Company being R. W. Maguire, paymaster of the Central Co.). Mr. Roter, who has full charge of the store, recently of Pennsylvania, is a gentleman of excellent business qualities and we believe he will do a splendid business at the junction. We looked over the store Saturday and found everything in apple pie order. 
 

The Meyers Family and the Corner Store 
 

The Roter store, the first in Abbotsford, now better known as the Corner store, surely spans a big part of Abbotsford’s history - Meyers & Chase, then A. J. Meyers, the Bootzin Store, the Foodland Store, the Clover Farm Store and the Red and White Store. 
 

Coming to Abbotsford from Weyauwega, in 1890, Mr. Meyers worked for L. A. Roter in the south half of the present store building. Mr. Roter sold the store to Frank M. Chase, also of Weyauwega, and later of Dorchester, in 1897. Mr. Meyers continued as manager. 
 

A partnership was formed shortly after the north half of the building was built and the firm name became Meyers & Chase, general merchandise, during the year 1900. The new addition housed the shoes, hardware and furniture lines. This partnership also owned and operated a warehouse on the west side of present side-track to the White House Milk Company. 
 

From this warehouse, flour, feed, potatoes, coal, lime, cement, sash and door frames, were bought and sold. Carloads of hay, potatoes, pulpwood, and bolts were loaded in cars for shipments to points south. When people talk of the good old days, and the long, tough winters.  The wall above the back door in the corner store had a sign with this notation: Peter Bark hauled a load of bolts to town on a sled, May 8, 1904. With 12 bolts on a sled, plenty of snow was needed. 
 

The sale of the land for the condensery side, deprived Mr. Meyers of his garden, which was his hobby. He then purchased a farm east of town and continued gardening. He truly had a green thumb, evidenced by the baskets of produce harvested. One would often see him working in his garden long *** Note: The rest of the article was cut off and was not available at the time of transcription.